We know that fishing with family and friends builds positive relationships and increases environmental awareness. However, for a potential new angler to benefit, it is critical to find nearby and accessible fishing locations.

The Gateway to Fishing Program is dedicated to enhancing and promoting fishing in easily accessible and close-to-home public waters, like metro and suburban park lakes. To make that happen, we are working with communities to raise awareness of existing locations, assist with helping improve fishing, and offering support for hosting fishing events. Currently, the Gateway to Fishing Program is highlighting 10 Metro Atlanta locations that offer great fishing, with plans to continue adding new locations in the future.  

NEWS TO KNOW

• 

  Mystery Snail Found on Lake Lanier. (Photo: Matt Rowe, Georgia DNR)

  Invasive Species Found on Lanier: A member of the genus Cipangopaludina, Chinese/Japanese Mystery Snails have been found in multiple waterbodies within Georgia, and this now includes Lake Lanier. The invasive species was found while WRD officials were conducting routine sampling of the lake. Concerns associated with the mystery snail species include its potential to negatively impact native snails and being a possible health risk (ex: can host intestinal parasites) if consumed raw or undercooked.

• Dads, Take Your Daughter Fishing: Prepare yourself if you watch a heart-tugging adorable video from Take Me Fishing about why you should take your daughter fishing. Can we go fishing now? 

This week we have fishing reports from Central, Southeast and North Georgia. A fishing location is probably closer than you think, so get out there and Go Fish Georgia!

CENTRAL GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Hunter Roop, Fisheries Biologist and Region Supervisor with the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts) 

RESERVOIR REPORT

Reservoir reports below are courtesy of Ken Sturdivant’s Southern Fishing report and other contributions by WRD Fisheries staff, guides, and local anglers.

LAKE RUSSELL IS FULL, 80’S

Bass: Bass fishing is fair. This lake is angler-friendly, and the spots are scattered all over the lake. But the most fish are up the river. Now find the small feeder creeks. With the warm water the bass will move up a little to the shallows and the water temperatures might be cooler than down on the main lake. Try the hollow bodied frog, soft stick bait Like Zoom Super Flukes and a jig or creature bait. These three will cover many bases and allow you to fish any cover before you. A frog is excellent because of its weedless. Fish the grass and any shallow back cover. Bushes, docks and other places bass hide. Jigs and three-foot Carolina rigs are fair but slow down. Three- and four-inch Zoom tubes are also working in the thicker brush piles in nine to twelve feet and deeper. Rig the Zoom finesse worms on the Texas rigs and peg the sinker. Add some Jacks Juice in the garlic sent to the tip of the tails. If the clouds move in, go to a darker color jig, tube or worm.

Striped Bass (courtesy of anglersheadquarters.com): Guide Wendell Wilson (706-283-3336) reports that in June fish should be on both ends of the lake, with herring on free-lines working in the shallower upper lake and down-lines working in the deeper lower lake. Fish will also be holding around deep timber wherever it is found.

Crappie (courtesy of anglersheadquarters.com): Guide Wendell Wilson reports that fish will move onto deeper brush or natural timber this month where they can be caught on jigs and minnows. Night-fishing around bridges will also be productive.

Catfish (courtesy of anglersheadquarters.com): Guide Jerry Kotal reports that fish will move deeper this month into 15-25 feet where they can be caught on cut herring. May was an excellent month for catfish and expect more of the same at least to start June.

GON-tel on Lake Russell: GON’s Deermaster13 wore out the catfish on Russell last week. Check out his latest fried up quarry and others at the GON Online Forum.

LAKE SINCLAIR IS DOWN 1.5 FEET, 80’S

Bass: Bass fishing is fair. Go up the lake and use a Shad Rap or a small Lucky Craft Redemption spinnerbait in a shad pattern. The spots like this bait and try the Spybait too. Fish baits around the blow downs and rocks in and around the pockets up Yellow Jacket and up the river. For the largemouth use a 3/8 ounce brown and purple Picasso jig in 5 to 9 feet of water on any wood. Fish this bait up the river. Shakey heads called Weedless Wonders are great heads to fish any soft plastic on, in and around any cover. These heads are not as easy to hang up because of the line tie being inside the lead. Now is a great time to ride the lake and scan the points, humps and ledges with the Lowrance Structure Scan and Down Scan technology. Now anglers and spend less time searching and more time catching once this technology unlock the lakes secret.

Linesides (courtesy of Dillan Greeson Fishing): Dillan reports that the pattern remains the same for Linesides on Sinclair. The bite is steady fishing downlines over 20’ – 30’ bottoms. Net what bait you can find—gizzards and threadfin haven’t been too hard to find if you’re looking at the right time of day. Some flatlines are still producing at times, but the surging water temperatures will soon kill that bite. Focus on main lake points similar to those around Nancy Branch and the airport. Use your electronics to locate schools those spaghetti string-like schools. You may even luck up and land a big blue or two if you’re hunting the right holes!

CLARKS HILL IS FULL, 80’S

Bass: Bass fishing remained steady last week, but the lake saw some rain last week and during the middle of this week. Hopefully this will jump start some sort of action as rain and a low-pressure system moves through this weekend. Bass anglers are still catching some off the grass point and pockets with buzz baits, frogs and #7 Rapala Shad Raps. Try the hollow bodied frog, soft stick bait Like Zoom Super Flukes and a jig or creature bait. These three will cover many bases and allow you to fish any cover before you. A frog is excellent because of its weedless. Fish the grass and any shallow back cover. Bushes, docks and other places bass hide. The first three hours of the day seem to be the best and anglers are still finding ways to catch with a drop shot especially mid-day. The Carolina rigged lizard and worm are still working in the deeper water and some fish are still chasing schooling thread fin shad. Keep a top water bait handy and the Chug Bugs, Whopper Poppers and Skitter Pops are working well.

Striper and Hybrids: (courtesy of anglersheadquarters.com): Little River Guide Service reports that to start off the month fish were still very shallow early, but this month they should move down the lake into 20-30 feet where they can be caught on down-lines and then continue to go deeper from there. Fish have been harder to pattern than usual this year but perhaps June will offer more consistency.

Crappie: (courtesy of anglersheadquarters.com): Little River Guide Service reports that this month fish should be found around brush in 20-25 feet of water. Anchoring and then fishing vertically with minnows is usually the best pattern although at times the fish will show a preference for jigs.

Catfish: (courtesy of anglersheadquarters.com): Captain Chris Simpson reports that the best fishing in June will be in the early morning or late evening. Anchoring on humps and points and fishing with cut bait at a variety of depths is the best bet.

GON-tel on Clarks Hill: The GON online forum let’s us know about a Mixed Bag on Clarks Hill and Clarks Hill Shellcrackers.

LAKE OCONEE IS FULL, 70’S

Bass: Bass fishing is fair. The lake is clear and there are fish scattered on docks lake wide and a trick worm skipped under them will get a bite. Ride by the docks first and scan them with the Structure Scan side imaging technology. No fish don’t stop. Mid-day head up the river. Cast Pop R’s, Skitter Walks and Thunder Dogs early on the shaded docks and any grass close by. A black buzz bait or a Spro frog and get attacked. Then go to the Rapala DT6 and Bandits in greens. Take along some Zoom June bug trick worms and use a #2/0 offset Mustad worm hook and use Sufix braid to get them out of the cove. Chatter Baits and worms to fish isolated stumps and lay downs. Always have a spinnerbait and a buzz bait tied on anytime of the day or night. Black Jitterbugs are working on docks up the Seneca River after dark. Now is a great time to ride the lake and scan the points, humps and ledges with the Lowrance Structure Scan and Down Scan technology. Now anglers and spend less time searching and more time catching once this technology unlock the lakes secret.

Linesides & More (courtesy of lakecountryfishing.com reports): It was a fun, few hours this morning fishing Lake Oconee probing the depths for some deep bass. We ended up boating 16-17 bass, but also had a few striper and big hybrids that were mixed in! Everything came on a crankbait digging up the bottom from 12-21ft deep on main lake and secondary points, the Lowrance Live 12 units showed me where they were positioned on the points.

LAKE JACKSON IS FULL, 80’S

Bass: Bass fishing is fair. Top water action is limited so target shallow fish in the early morning. Look down lake on main lake riprap and seawalls. Also look for fish feeding on open water shad during the early morning and in overcast conditions. Fish shallow on rocky points very early and late in the day. Fish can also be found in the main lake blow downs without fishing particularly deep. While the fishing can be hit and miss, quality fish are being caught out to 15 feet and deeper. Fishing for reaction strikes with the crank bait can be a good strategy. Use Shad Raps to take fish out to 8 feet of water. Jigs work well for catching fish in all depth ranges, particularly on wood and other structure targets. If the top water bite isn’t happening in the early morning, throw jigs, shaky heads, and crank baits instead. Cranks will cover water and jigs or worms will take fish from specific shallow structure and sea walls. Work the points, humps, blow downs, brush, docks, and rocks. Drop Shot rigs are particularly productive this time of year and use the finesse worms to fish passing directly under boat on the Lowrance. Also use the rig on short casts to fish holding deep on the bottom.

Regional Habitat Projects: The greenhouse at Walton Hatchery has been slammed with activity this week including a coordinated planting of hundreds of water willow on Lake Varner with volunteers from a local boyscout troop, the shipping off of 100 American lotus plants destined for Big Lazer PFA, and right on the heels of these shipments remains the need to re-pot more water willow for future plantings. Restoration of shorelines with native aquatic plants provides significant benefits to aquatic ecosystems by taking up excess nutrients, providing spawning habitat and nurseries for a variety fish, and providing a foraging environment for fish since many of these plants attract macroinvertebrates—an important dietary component for many fish. Aquatic plants also stabilize shorelines and reduce erosion, improving water quality and keeping our lakes looking beautiful. A big shout out to the Walton crew for all of the growing and planting they do! Find out more about water willows in our blog post “The American Water Willow.”

PUBLIC FISHING AREA REPORT

McDUFFIE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (courtesy of McDuffie PFA Manager Chalisa Fabillar)

• McDuffie PFA Information
• Surface Temperature:  82°F and rising
• Water Visibility:  22”+
• Water Level: Most lakes are full
• McDuffie PFA Fishing Guide

Waters are very warm across the PFA and clarity is variable but most lakes have a strong bloom right now.  Bass and catfish are moving through deeper waters. For bass fishermen, these warm temperatures mean fishing starts earlier and earlier. Bass bite is best in the first two hours of the day. Then success drops off quickly unless it is a cloudy day. Our regulars are still having best success using the trusty old black trick worms, though silver buzz baits on the outside of bream beds is yielding some success too. A successful technique is throwing colored buzz baits perpendicular to the alligator weed on Jones and Willow as well. Catfish are biting best using livers and stink baits sunk about 15 feet out from downhill siphons. Their bite is best in the morning also but there is a slow bite the rest of the day. Anglers are having success in Jones, our overnight fishing pond, all night long.

Reminder: live fish/minnows are not allowed on our PFA’s!

FLAT CREEK PUBLIC FISHING AREA (courtesy of WRD Fisheries Technician Amory Cook and Deven Thompson) —

Flat Creek PFA Lake water levels are slowly dropping, but the well has been turned on and anglers can enjoy targeting the fish that like to gather near the cool water. Below is a summary of fish activity compiled by Fisheries Technician Deven Thompson:

Bream: The bream bite has been picking up over the past week with multiple reports of redear sunfish in the one-pound range being caught and many small to medium sized bluegill. The best bet is to use red worms fished either on the bottom or deeper under a float around shallow flats and weed lines.

Crappie: The crappie bite is still viable, with plenty of large crappie reported being caught. While your best bet is using jigs on offshore structure, reports of one pound plus crappie being caught in shallow water near the bank is not uncommon. Lure choices should consist of white jigs for artificial presentations and minnows for live bait.

Catfish: The catfish bite continues to be excellent with anglers having success with fishing crickets under floats near the shore and chicken livers on the bottom in deeper holes.

Bass: With water levels dropping, the largemouth bite has been picking up and we’ve received reports of fish 3-6 lb being caught. Best bet is targeting them around aerators and offshore brush piles utilizing crank baits and worms during the day and fishing near the bank with top water plugs and buzz baits later in the evening and at night.

ATTENTION ANGLERS: Flat Creek PFA staff are conducting an annual angler (creel) survey on the lake this year. If you are approached by a PFA staff member after your fishing trip, please take a moment to answer their questions and share information about your fishing success (or, lack of success, whichever may be the case). These surveys are a valuable management tool that can improve our understanding of the fishery and ultimately improve fishing quality on the reservoir.

MARBEN PUBLIC FISHING AREA

• Marben PFA Information
• Water Level: All ponds and lakes are full.
• Water Clarity: Most ponds have 20” visibility.  However, Fox is clearer and has a visibility near 3’.  Heavy rainfall will reduce visibilities.
• Surface Temp: Low 80s degrees.
• Marben PFA Fishing Guide

Bass: The warm temperatures still have the bass back pushed out over deeper water. The shallow morning bite along weedlines or in the timber is still viable, but as the sun gets up, you’ll need to look deeper to find the bigger fish. Topwater poppers and frogs are an excellent choice first thing in the morning. Jigging a worm or casting deep-diving crankbaits can be effective later in the day. Stay versatile and on the move to find fish roaming rip rap or holding tight to structure, as there is plenty of it in the lake.

Crappie: The crappie bite is still viable, but you need to locate deep structure to find them. Boaters seem to do well fishing over deep brush piles. Live minnows fished vertically over structure can call them up.

Bream: The bluegill bite is hot right now.  The usual pink worms and wax worms are the ticket. You may pick up a few shellcracker as well if you place your presentation close to the bottom.

Hybrid Bass: Look for shad schooling early morning and late afternoon.  Put your bait right in the school and hold on. Hybrid bass pack a punch.

Channel catfish: The catfish bite is excellent in the summer. Fox Lake along the rip rap are good targets this time of year, but any lakes indicating catfish will produce bites with patience. Cut baits like livers and hearts, or nightcrawlers fished along the bottom will produce.

SOUTHEAST GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Capt. Bert Deener, Retired Georgia WRD Region Supervisor, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts)

Fishing has been great all over the place. The rivers are getting right at different rates, and catches have been really strong!

River gages on June 20th were:

• Clyo on the Savannah River – 5.1 feet and falling
• Abbeville on the Ocmulgee – 1.6 feet and falling
• Doctortown on the Altamaha – 5.2 feet and falling
• Waycross on the Satilla – 6.1 feet and falling
• Atkinson on the Satilla – 5.3 feet and falling
• Statenville on the Alapaha – 3.7 feet and falling
• Macclenny on the St Marys – 2.2 feet and falling
• Fargo on the Suwannee – 3.8 feet and falling

Last quarter moon is June 28th. To monitor all the Georgia river levels, visit the USGS website HERE. For the latest marine forecast, click HERE.

ALAPAHA RIVER

Stan Rhodes and David McGlamry fished the upper river on Friday and did great for panfish. They had 52 keeper fish with more bluegills than redbreasts. They also had 8 crappie mixed in their catch. They caught them with crawfish Satilla Spins, worms, and crickets.

ALTAMAHA/OCMULGEE RIVER

A couple of Waycross anglers fished the middle Altamaha for bass on Wednesday and caught 18. Their biggest that they landed was a 4 1/2-pounder, but they pulled off a 6-lb. class fish on the way to the boat. Their best presentation was a stick worm. They could not get much to happen with crankbaits. The Ocmulgee has dropped out pretty quickly in the last couple of weeks, so look closely for sandbars and rocks.

SATILLA RIVER

Jamie Hodge fished the middle river on Wednesday with worms and crickets and caught 28 nice redbreasts and bluegills. He returned Thursday morning and had his limit of panfish before noon – including some really big bluegills. He also caught about 40 perfect eating size channel catfish, mostly on crickets. The upper river bass bite has been good from reports I’ve received. Topwaters and plastics have been producing. The water is perfect right now in the Waycross area to idle a boat around and catch fish. Expect to drag every now and then over logs or sandbars. Remember that the Hwy 84 (Blackshear Bridge) ramp is closed for bridge construction (and will be for years…literally).

ST MARYS RIVER

The upper river is getting low and tough to get around in a motorboat, but the middle and lower river stretches are still very fishable. Put a shrimp on the bottom in the deeper holes and it will be hard to keep white and channel catfish off your line.

OCONEE RIVER

The only information I have from the Oconee is results from the First Annual Colten Foskey Memorial Catfish Tournament held this past weekend at the Laurens County Sportsman’s Club outside of Dublin. First place was Dalton Poole and Justin Brown. Dale Anderson and Daniel Gullion came in second place.

PARADISE PUBLIC FISHING AREA (Paradise PFA is located near Tifton)

Jorge fished with his son Jorge, Jr. this week and caught a 7-pound bass on a dark-colored plastic worm. What a monster! Some good bluegill catches were reported this week also.

OGEECHEE RIVER

Jay Turner fished the river last Thursday and did well. They kept 45 redbreasts and caught and released way more than that.

OHOOPEE RIVER

A couple of Waycross anglers floated the lower river and did well for panfish. Of their 75 fish, most were redbreasts, but they had a few nice bluegills, as well. They did best with black/chartreuse 1/16-oz. Satilla Spins. After one of them lost their black/chartreuse, they switched to bruised banana gold and didn’t do as well. They tried bruiser and spanked them again.

OKEFENOKEE SWAMP

Rickey O’Berry fished the east side on Saturday and did well on warmouth. He caught a few of the bigger fish on some custom jigs I made for him, but the vast majority of them ate crickets. He ended up keeping 44 warmouth. Jimmy and Jennifer Guess fished the west side by the Sill on Tuesday evening for just 3 hours and caught about 20 warmouth, 8 pickerel (jackfish), a couple bowfin (mudfish), and a gar. They spanked them on fire tiger-chartreuse blade Dura-Spins. Jimmy said that catfish were biting well for anglers bottom fishing at the Sill with shrimp and cut bait. The most recent water level (Folkston side) was 120.70 feet. Yellow flies have not been bad even though it is June…. If you get under dense trees they will be waiting for you, though.

LOCAL PONDS

Joshua Barber fished a Waycross area pond on Monday and had a great morning trip! He and a friend had 20 warmouth and a dozen fliers along with 30 catfish. They fished shrimp and worms on the bottom for catfish and also caught them on crickets, spinners, and jigs. With a chance of thunderstorms in the forecast each evening this week, a pond is a great option, as you can get back to your vehicle quickly if a storm builds.

SALTWATER (GA COAST)

The incessant (and strong!) east winds were the story all week. You had to find some lee to even keep a line in the water. The folks who found a calm spot caught some whiting on the bottom. Tripp made his first offshore venture with his dad Mark and caught his first red snapper, goggle eye snapper, lane snapper, vermillion snapper, and triggerfish. Everyone had a blast tugging on fish, and Tripp slept on the cooler all the way back home he was so exhausted. Tommy Sweeney caught a giant jack crevalle on Saturday by flinging a Gotcha curly-tail on a Zombie Eye Jighead. He and Scotty Steedley spent what seemed like an hour fighting that big fish. They only caught a few other short trout during the trip. Steve and Brenda Hampton fished with Capt. Jaime Bracewell on Friday and caught lots of short trout and blacktip sharks on mudminnows and nuke juice-colored Hoodwink plastics. They had 3 keeper trout mixed in, but Brenda had the catch of the day – someone else’s Silver Kat rod and reel combo that she snagged. Capt. Cody Baker of Top Hook Charters out of Fernandina (fishtophook.com) fought the winds just like everyone else, but he was able to tuck into the backwaters and still catch some slot-sized reds and flounder. He fooled them with a Zombie Eye Jighead and live shrimp and mudminnows (the minnows worked best). His charters used mostly the 3/8-oz model and bounced it along the bottom. Wat-a-melon Bait and Tackle in Brunswick is now open every day. On Mon-Thursday their hours are 6:30-10am and 2 to 5pm and Friday through Saturday from 6:30am to 5pm, and Sunday 6am to 5pm. They have plenty of lively shrimp and also have live worms and crickets for freshwater. They’re on Hwy 303 just north of Hwy 82. For the latest information, contact them at 912-223-1379.

Blog Contributer Capt. Bert Deener guides fishing trips in southeast Georgia and makes a variety of both fresh and saltwater fishing lures. Check his lures out at Bert’s Jigs and Things on Facebook. For a copy of his latest catalog, call or text him at 912-288-3022 or e-mail him (bertdeener@yahoo.com).

NORTH GEORGIA

(Fishing report courtesy of Brent Hess, Fisheries Biologist with the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, with help from Region Staff and Local Experts) 

TROUT REPORT 

Where to Go for Trout Info: To learn about Georgia’s diverse trout fishing opportunities including the latest stocking information, check out the Georgia DNR Trout Fishing page.

RESERVOIR REPORT 

“We were out on Lake Chatuge the other day hunting for some fin clips from hybrids but managed to stumble upon some nice sized bass hanging out in the shallows. One of the biggest catches for the day was this 5.5-pound Largemouth Bass that we rolled right near the mouth of the Hiawassee River at the southern end of the reservoir.” Kyle Rempe 

LAKE ALLATOONA is full, and the water temperatures are in the 80s. 

Allatoona Bass (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant www.southernfishing.com) — Bass fishing is fair. There is a fair top water bite around shad schools lake wide early. Pop R’s, Zara Spooks will get action but once the sun is up go deep. When the sun is up, use worms in the Zoom gourd green finesse worm on a drop shot rig on a light Weedless Wonder shakey head. On docks and wood use a Zoom green pumpkin finesse worm. Add some extra jack Juice scent to lures all week. The Spy Baits are catching fish too. Cast right on the docks and work baits slowly. Use the Lowrance Structure Scan technology and scan the docks before mmm fish them. Just look for the dots under the docks. No dots, don’t stop. Up the rivers and creeks and use bream colored Rapala DT6 crank baits in the pockets. Around the bridges and docks the #5 Rapala Shad Rap in the shad and black back is fair but get the baits as close to the structures as possible.

Allatoona Crappie (This report courtesy of Red Rooster Custom Baits):

• Air Temp: High: 91 – Low: 61
• Wind: Up to 10 Mph
• Lake Level: 840.20′ and slowly dropping
• Water Temp:78-80
• Water Clarity: Clear to Light Stain
• Area Fished: North Lake (Little River Area), S Turns To Victoria, Blockhouse (Tanyard/Clark Creek Area)
• Jigs Used: Pappy’s Magic Dagger, BlueGrass Dagger, UV Shad Dagger, Watermelon Ghost Dagger, Motor Oil Red and MayFly
• Technique: Casting Soft Plastic Jigs & Small Hair Jigs & Spider Rigging

The second week of June 2024 is in the books and the weather couldn’t have been any better. Great early morning temps, light winds and favorable moon phases worked well for us this past week. As far as moon phases go, we have had great days based on solunar activity and not so great, but we are aware that there are times when they are spot on!

As we move into the crappie summer pattern on Lake Allatoona, Brush Piles and deep-water structure is key. You want to target brush piles, stumps, stick ups and lay downs that are in 15′ to 22′ of water.   All of our crappie are suspended anywhere from 6′ to 12′ on deep water structure. We caught crappie using Minnows, Red Rooster Daggers in UV Shad, BlueGrass, Pappy’s Magic, MayFly, Watermelon Ghost and Motor Oil Red as well as hair jigs were working well. Hair Jigs in gray, brown, white, chartreuse are good choices for catching finicky black crappie this time of year.

Three techniques were working for us this past week: Spider Rigging, Casting small soft plastic jigs such as the Red Rooster Dagger and small hair jigs.

• Technique #1: Spider Rigging – Spider Rigging, which is basically 10′ – 16′ rods positioned on the front of the boat, is the tried-and-true method for catching numbers of crappie during the summer months. This method works best for fishing known structure with minnows.

• Technique #2: Soft Plastic Jigs – A smaller Jig size is key this time of year, which is why we developed the Red Rooster Dagger. It is a 1.5″ split tail jig designed to imitate smaller bait fish. The crappie population on Lake Allatoona is primarily Black Crappie which are extremely finicky when it comes to jig size and react more positively to a smaller jig. Something to keep in mind when fishing smaller jigs is that you also want to downsize your jig head to a 1/32nd or 1/64th oz. jig head. Pinch a split shot or #5 clam shell about 18″ above your jig to add more weight while keeping the jig profile as small as possible.

• Technique #3: Hair Jigs – When the bite gets tough a hair jig can be the go-to bait with its smaller profile and subtle movement in water. Use natural color hair jigs such as grays, browns, white and chartreuse or any combination of those primary colors.

Using the three techniques above we were able to net some good numbers and quality slabs this past week. We fished in the early morning hours from sun rise until 11 to 12 pm before the heat kicked and boat/jet ski traffic. Be safe out there and wear your life jackets as boat traffic is in full swing. Remember to keep only the crappie that you need and release the rest to keep our great fishery strong for generations to come!

LAKE HARTWELL: is full and water temperatures are in the 80s. (Report courtesy of Capt. Cefus McRae www.southernfishing.com). 

Hartwell Stripers: Summertime is officially here. But the fish haven’t quite figured it out yet. Water temperatures vary depending upon which end of the lake you are fishing. Northern stretches have been warmer, in the mid to upper 80’s, while the south end is a bit cooler with temps in the mid to lower 80’s. Finding the cooler water is a better bet for catching linesides. As summer sets in, and the water really heats up, the thermocline will become distinctive, and the stripers will associate with it in the main river channels. Right now, they are still scattered in both the creeks and the river channels. Start off with a live well full of blueback herring from The Bait House in Hartwell. Add a dozen or so of their large shiners as well. Sometimes the stripers will get finicky and just scale a blueback. Downsizing to shiners can make a distinctive difference in your hook up ratio. Early morning, start your search pattern with live baits in the creek mouths where depths are 40 to 60 feet. You can still pull planer boards, as some of these fish will be chasing baits up toward shoal markers. Keep a blue/chrome MirroLure or silver/blue Sammy ready for some top water action. These could be stripers, hybrids or spotted bass crashing bait. Pitch your lure past the school and work it through the chaos and hang on. As the sun gets higher in the sky, move out to the creek channels in 70 to 90 feet of water and suspend baits to cover the water column from 50 feet up to 15 feet. Patience is key, as the schools will be moving from the creeks to the main river channel. You just need to be along their travel path, and when they show up, you will be rewarded. By mid-day, move to the main river channel over deep water and troll umbrella rigs and X Rigs, positioned 50 to 75 feet behind the boat. Look at the power generation schedule for Hartwell Dam, and plan to be in the main channel close to the dam about 30 minutes after the corps begins generating. The signal horn will be a clear indicator of generation. Late afternoon, and into the evening, you can switch back to live bait as the schools migrate back to the creeks. So, it’s just a reverse of what you did in the morning. Flukes and swim baits will catch fish, along with frisky blueback herring. Top water action can happen any time around dusk, so be ready for that too. Finally, if you see fish in the timber, position your boat and baits in the clearings between stands of subsurface trees. Pull out your drumming stick and call the fish to you. A fish caught over trees has a good chance of getting tangled in the limbs and you’ll never see the fish. Bring them to you by drumming and your odds of landing the big ones are much better. Want to go have fun on Lake Hartwell, and do some catching? Give us a call at 404 402 8329 to experience a great adventure on the lake. Tight Lines and Smooth Seas Capt. Cefus McRae.

LAKE LANIER is down less than a f00t and water temperatures are in the 80s. 

Lanier Bass (This Lake Lanier Bass fishing report is by Phil Johnson Pjohnson15@hotmail.com 770-366-8845) — Bass fishing is good on Lake Lanier. The lake is currently about a half foot above pool and the water temperature is running in the mid-eighties. Overall, the lake is clear except for the big boats mud lines. It’s the time of year where a little bit of everything is working at the right time. There is still a top water bite going on over brush in twenty-five to thirty foot of water, long points and humps. The fish are often not directly on the brush so scan the area to find their location for the day. Chrome Gunfish, Chrome Slick Sticks, flukes and Chug bugs have been the best producers for the top water bite this week. If the top water activity isn’t happening, then the Spot Choker or the drop shot will produce fish. Use a quarter ounce Spotchoker with a three-inch paddle tail swimbait to work the fish around and over the brush. It’s important to stay off the brush far enough to be able to cast ten to fifteen feet past the brush. Utilize your forward facing or count the bait down to the depth of the fish and slowly retrieve this bait back. The drop shot is used either directly in the brush or around the edges. On windy days a quarter ounce weight is good and on calm days a three sixteenth is fine. I’m using a ten-foot leader of eight-pound fluorocarbon backed by fifteen-pound braid on a seven-foot six medium action rod. I prefer the size one drop shot hook the built-in swivels to prevent the line from twisting. As the water temperatures continues to climb it will be necessary to work a little harder for them, but they are still biting so Go Catch Em! 

Lanier Stripers (report is by Buck Cannon, Buck Tails Guide Service 404-510-1778) — Lanier Striper are hitting the flat lines with weights and without on planer boards 30 feet behind the boards. Flat lines 80 to 100 feet back. Blue backs are the bait of choice. Using your electronics locate the bait and put your spread out. Be sure to check your bait often the water temperature is 82 degrees below Browns Bridge so they are very susceptible to the heat. Take some freeze sleeves and make sure they are lively. I always have a down line just in case. Remember to wear your life jackets. 

Lanier Crappie (Report is courtesy of Call Captain Josh Thornton 770-530-6493) — Crappie are in the summer pattern suspended 10 to 15 foot deep over a 30-to-40-foot bottom. I have been having good luck with minnows on blow downs and under docks with structure. For jig selection am using green and black colored combination (atx d2d) with a slow retrieval. The gear I recommend for crappie fishing is a Acc crappie stix 1 piece rod and reel with a 4 to 6-pound test K9 line, along with Garmin Live Scope and Power Pole. For more information and tips, please visit my websites. http://www.crappieonlanier.com and http://www.fishingwitheverydayheroes.org

WEISS LAKE is down less than a foot and water and temperatures are in the upper 70’s to low 80s. (Report courtesy of Mark Collins www.markcollins service.com: 256-996-9035). 

Weiss Bass: Bass don’t go real deep on Weiss in the summer so anglers can catch bass from very shallow water, as long as there is 4 to 5 feet of water nearby. There is no need to dredge 20 plus feet of water like on many lakes during the hot summer months. Keep it simple. A crankbait that will run 10 feet deep, a big worm rigged on a Texas or Carolina rig, and a beaver type bait rigged for flipping, are all he needs to time of year. Bass fishing is good. The warmer weather has turned the fish on. A lot of fish have moved shallow into the spawning bays and creeks, shallow running crank baits and spinner baits are working well. 

Weiss Catfish: Catfish are biting in the bays and creeks in 8 to 15 feet of water, cut bait is working best. 

WEST POINT LAKE is full and water temperatures are in the 80s. 

West Point Bass (Report courtesy of Ken Sturdivant www.southernfishing.com) — Bass fishing is good. The bass fishing shifts to a deep structure pattern. Hungry bass can normally be caught around submerged roadbeds, pond dams and deep brush piles. Zoom Old Monster or Mag 2 worms, jigs and Bomber Fat Free citrus shad crankbaits are good baits. Look for fish in 12 to 20 feet of water. When targeting deep structure like rocks, crankbaits are great because these can be fished quickly. Bang into the bottom and generate strikes from bass. Depending on the depth you are fishing, plenty of crankbaits will get down quickly and allow you to ply the depths. Also, a few bass always seem to stay shallow. Top waters, buzz baits and Senko’s are good choices and they try to go shallow especially early in the morning. One key pattern is to look for bream beds or mayfly hatches. Spotted bass also move to deeper cover. A Zoom shaky head worm on a jig will work around blowdowns, bluff walls and bridge pilings. 

West Point Largemouth Stocking: DNR Fisheries staff stocked over 518,000 largemouth bass fingerlings into West Point this spring.  These young upstarts were mostly stocked by boat into prime fish habitat in the Wehadkee, Stroud, Whitewater, and Bird Creeks, as well as the Chattahoochee River Arm of West Point. DNR has now stocked West Point Lake with over 4 million largemouth bass since 2016.  

STATE PARK LAKES REPORT 

Small Lakes Still Have Big Fishing Opportunities: Small lakes are often hot fishing spots in the summer.  Here are a few north Georgia State Parks (with their links and counties) with small lakes you may consider fishing this weekend.

• James H. “Sloppy” Floyd (Chattooga Co.)
• Fort Mountain (Murray Co.)
• Vogel (Union Co.)
• Unicoi (White Co.)
• Black Rock Mountain (Rabun Co.)
• Fort Yargo (Barrow Co.)
• Sweetwater Creek (Douglas Co.)